The Bet
by hoggywartyhogwarts77
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley are sworn enemies and can hardly tolerate each other's presence. However, when Scorpius feels he is losing his cunning and formidable reputation a bet is proposed which will change the lives of both him and Rose forever.
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of J.K. Rowling's wonderful characters._**

**Author's Note: Hello! This is my first fanfiction and I started writing it because I was bored. The first chapter is a little slow, but it'll get better; I promise! Thanks for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated as this is my first publication on Fanfiction. I hope you enjoy!**

_Scorpius_

Scorpius Malfoy was slapped five times that day.

Three of the six smacks had been courtesy of Lara Edwards, the girl he had dated for a little less than a month now. Well, dating was probably too formal a word for it. Occasionally taking out on Hogsmeade weekends and snogging when he was feeling lonely was a better way to phrase it. Being the star chaser for the Slytherin quidditch team meant she packed in one hell of a punch when she wanted to. And boy, did she ever want to. The other remaining two slaps were courtesy of Elizabeth Lyons, the _other_ girl Scorpius had been 'dating'.

He had broken his record for the amount of slaps he'd been given on a single day.

"Bloody hell, Scorp, what happened to your face?" Christof Zabini chortled as he noticed his friend stepping through the Slytherin common room's portrait hole sporting a blooming purple welt on his left cheekbone. Scorpius made a sour face at Christof before plopping down on one of the green silk armchairs clustered around the magnificent roaring fireplace in the common room. He refrained from replying to his friend's question and instead leaned his head on the back of the chair, his eyes sliding shut.

"So Lara and Elizabeth finally found out, then?" Christof muttered in an off-handed voice, snorting. "About bleeding time. Those two are thicker than Crabbe and Goyle, and that's saying something."

"Will you _shut up_," Scorpius said through clenched teeth, his eyes still firmly shut. "It doesn't matter anyway. I was going to break it off with them by the end of this week."

Christof merely made a sound of disbelief but did not reply. Scorpius had known that Lara and Liz would eventually find out that he had seen them simultaneously. However, what he had not anticipated was that either one of them could deliver such a strong, stinging slap.

Scorpius forced his eyes open and took in the Slytherin common room. It wasn't nearly as busy as it normally was for most of the younger students who were not granted spares were still in class. However a few other fellow sixth year Slytherins were lounging about on the couches, laughing and chatting animatedly, or sitting in study circles working on homework and assignments, relishing the hour and a half of no classes at their disposal. A sharp, pounding sensation was beginning in Scorpius's temples as the onset of a headache befell him. He attempted to rub soothing circles over the spots where it felt as if a blunt spike was being driven into his skull but found no relief. He ground his teeth and refused to look at Christof.

"Look mate, if you don't want to talk that's fine." he finally said, breaking the terse tension in the air and rising from his seat, books under one arm and bag slung over his shoulder. "I'm going up to the dormitories if you need me."

And with that Scorpius's only true friend disappeared, closing the door leading to the boy's dormitories behind him with a snap. The pain in his brain spiked again and he pinched the bridge of his nose. He would not go to Madame Pomfrey, for what would he say? _Sorry, I was sort of cheating on two girls and they found out and beat the shite out of me. _How pathetic did that sound?

With a heavy sigh Scorpius too rose from his chair, slinging his book bag over his shoulder and ruffling his platinum blond hair. The shrieks of laughter and continuous chatter filling up the common room was doing nothing to help his headache, and with the reminder that he had a long potions essay due on Wednesday, Scorpius exited through the portrait hole quietly. Without really thinking about what he was doing he found himself trudging down the beaten path to the library, the only place he really felt he could get some peace and perhaps at least start his essay.

As he walked, he wondered why he felt so affected by what had occurred that day. Was it guilt he was feeling, for cheating on those girls? Surely not. Scorpius was notorious for his lack of long-term relationships and using girls for his own personal agenda. He had never really felt any real remorse any of the other times he had cheated on a girl. So what was it then?

Scorpius could bet his wand that news was already beginning to spread about him dating both Lara and Elizabeth at the same time without their knowing. The rumour mill at Hogwarts was a dangerous, rapid thing which if set off would create a forest fire at even the slightest provocation. But really, what was new? Scorpius broke another two poor girl's hearts.

So what?

A lurching in his gut and another stabbing pain in his head forced him to push the thought away, and oddly a wave of nausea washed through his stomach. He gritted his teeth again and pressed his lips into a thin line before pushing open the door to the library. It was blissfully silent and cool in here, the air musty with the large collection of dusty old books and the light only feebly shining through the huge mullioned windows covered in grime and who knows what. Scorpius immediately made his way to his favourite table, plopped down into the seat, and dumped his bag on the table, which consequently disturbed the oppressive quietness of the room. Madame Pince eyed him threateningly but he simply gave her his best charming smile and waved. The second she turned away his smile vanished, being replaced by utter misery. The headache was getting worse.

Scorpius was taking out a piece of a parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, the outlines of his potion essay already beginning to form in his mind when he noticed a mane of curly red hair disappear behind a bookshelf.

_Wonderful_, Scorpius thought, rolling his eyes and snorting. _Just what I need right now. _

As if to taunt him there she was, reappearing from behind the row of shelves with a large stack of books clutched to her chest, her nose in the air and red mess of hair bouncing as she took a seat at the table across from Scorpius's. When she caught his silver-grey eyes with her brilliant blue ones her expression immediately soured, perfectly mirroring the way Scorpius was feeling himself. She adopted that usual downsizing, cool look she always wore when her eyes fell on him that he loathed so much and he merely narrowed his gaze, sneering at her before returning to his unwritten essay.

Scorpius gripped his quill, dipped it in the ink bottle several times, and suspended the tip inches above the parchment, immobilized. When he had failed to write anything down a drip of the black ink plopped onto the blank page and Scorpius set the quill down harder than necessary, seething. He couldn't concentrate when that filthy, self-righteous half-blood was sitting right in front of him. He could practically hear her quill scratching against parchment and it set his teeth on edge. He had thought that the library would have been the best place to go to soothe his headache and perhaps get some work done, but of course she had to go muck it all up by giving him that dirty, snooty look and sitting at the table _right across from his. _

He was seriously debating just getting up and leaving, but that would be surrendering to her, and he'd be damned if he could be bested by a know-it-all with a mudblood mother and a blood traitor for a father. So, steeling himself and ignoring the increasing pain that was building up in his temples, he rose smoothly from his chair and strode over to the potions section of the library. He glanced at her with the swiftness of a sly fox to see that she hadn't even flinched and was still writing furiously across her parchment, occasionally reading through the several textbooks lying open on the table.

He scanned through the titles on the spines of each book, searching for the volume he was looking for, and when he'd found it he returned to his table and set it down next to the still empty bit of parchment and the full bottle of ink. He sat down, opened the book, gripped his quill, and stared at the parchment.

_Concentrate. _

And he tried. He really tried. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he focused on trying to get words on the mocking blank page in front of him no stroke of brilliance came unto him and so with an inaudible noise of disgust in the back of his throat he repacked all his things, rose from his seat once more, and headed out of the library.

But, before he could go, he had to look. With the quickest dart of his eyes he could manage he saw her, and with a thrill of self-loathing realized she still had made no recognition of the fact that he had even been there. However he _did_ notice the slight quirk of her mouth, the smug and haughty yet subtle expression morphing her face slowly but surely as his headache tripled.

_Filthy half-blood. _

_Rose_

Rose Weasley did not notice him at first.

Only when she had made her way back towards her table with a hefty collection of books did she see him sitting at the table directly across from hers, his blond hair looking ruffled and messy and his green and silver Slytherin tie done up sloppily in a futile effort to keep up the 'bad boy' image he so desperately desired to uphold. The sight of him in the library so close to her working space was not a pleasant one at all, and her expression must have changed into that of disgust for he shot her his trademark nasty sneer he reserved just for her. Rose gave him a withering look before setting her books down on the table and reaching in her bag for a fresh page of parchment. Smoothing it out in front of her, she dipped her eagle feather quill in her ink bottle and began her potions essay on common antidotes for dragon pox. She refused to look at the blond-haired Slytherin across from her and opened the cover of the first book she had retrieved from the library shelf, scanning through the table of contents. She flipped to the desired page and invested herself in completing the essay, which was due on Wednesday.

Although she was loathe admitting it, having Scorpius share the library with her set her teeth on edge. She found it bothersome to have to share even the same room as him and her concentration level decreased. Luckily Rose had a remarkable ability to feign her disinterest around him even though internally she was angry he was there, she kept her attention diverted from him.

She had begun to make some serious headway on her essay when she heard the scrape of a chair on the stone flagged floor. Rose resisted the urge to look up but knew without having to direct her eyes away from her parchment that Scorpius had just stood, probably to go get a book. Rose wondered if he was working on the same potions essay she was doing - they (unfortunately) shared the same advanced potions class. She shoved the thought away and refocused on the task at hand.

Several minutes later there was another scrape on the floor and Rose grit her teeth, lowering her head. Her only consolation was that he was probably just as aggravated about her being there as she was him. It annoyed Rose more than she cared to admit that Scorpius used the library almost as much as she did.

Almost.

The library was somewhat of a sanctuary to Rose Weasley, a place to go where she could escape the madness and clear her head. She spent many hours holed up in the library, comforted by the thousands of books and the smell of clean and old parchment alike. She'd been using it since her first year at Hogwarts and it became automatically her favourite place in the castle. When Scorpius had started using it in second year Rose had taken a time of about a month avoiding it for she didn't want to be in such a close proximity to a Malfoy. Eventually, though, she realized how silly it was that one arrogant, cocky little boy could withhold her from her favourite place in the world and she learned to ignore him. Although she still loathed him, she had learned to put up with him due to the fact that they shared most of their classes together. Rose hated the fact that Scorpius was incredibly smart, and he and her always competed for the title of top of the year. Rose was only in the lead by a slim amount, Scorpius closely following behind her. She had to stay on top of her game if she was going to keep that title.

Rose sighed and set her quill down, reading through what she had written so far and looking for grammatical errors. Suddenly a noise - or lack thereof, really - alerted her and caused suspicion to settle into the pit of her stomach. What with Scorpius being so close to her surely she would hear his quill scratching against parchment, no? But after straining her ears considerably (and subtly, of course, so as not to let on that she was listening for _Scorpius_ Malfoy), she was sure that she couldn't hear the telltale scratching of a quill. In fact, she didn't hear much of anything other than Madame Pince swooping through the rows of bookshelves and hissing at the few other students who were whispering quietly among themselves. Rose frowned and scrunched up her nose before catching herself and morphing her face into a cool indifferent mask. What was he doing?

Curious now, Rose dared to take one swift glance at him and realized that he was doing nothing but staring at the blank sheet of parchment in front of him, his left hand balled into a fist and right hand holding the quill suspended over the page. His eyes were narrowed and teeth obviously clenched, his temples bulging and jaw set in a hard line. His face was considerably pale and Rose looked away before he could catch her looking.

What was he doing?

Was her presence _that_ unbearable for him? Rose felt an odd wash of emotion roll through her which she couldn't quite place. Then she shook herself mentally and frowned. Of course her presence was making him cringe, and vice versa. But really, was it that bad? Rose and Scorpius had somewhat learned to tolerate one another over the years without wanting to strangle each other due to the extensive amount of classes they had together. Rose wondered not for the first time with a shudder how her cousin Albus could bear to be around him, let alone actually befriend him. This was Draco Malfoy's son! And sure, Albus got along with everyone and not a single person in the school could say they disliked him (unless, of course, they were jealous) but being friends with a Malfoy just didn't sit well with Rose, and especially Scorpius. It was sickening the way he strut around school like he owned the place, using girls like worthless objects and looking down on everyone just because of his pure-blood status.

Rose thought about getting up and leaving the library. He was starting to make her feel annoyed _and _uncomfortable_. _But then she realized that it was exactly what he wanted, and Rose would not be driven out of her favourite place by some large-headed bigot. She was not twelve years old anymore. Picking up her quill resolutely she dipped it once again in the ink bottle and began to write.

Another scraping of a chair against the floor. Again, Rose forced herself not to look, and kept her expression as blank as she possibly could while straining her ears to catch any and every noise in the library. She could tell that Scorpius had risen from his seat again. The sounds of parchment being rolled up and an ink bottle clicking against a hard surface just confirmed her suspicions that the Slytherin pure-blood was packing up his things and getting ready to leave, and by what Rose had seen earlier, with a still unwritten potions essay hanging over his head. She simply could not resist a small, satisfied smile to creep across her face but she kept her eyes on her essay, pretending to read over it.

She'd won. And Rose had a feeling that he knew it, too.


	2. Chapter 2

_Rose_

Satisfied with her essay, Rose stood up, rolled up her eight scroll long parchment and carefully placed it in her bag. She then collected her ink bottle and quill and made sure they were all stowed away. Scooping up the books she'd taken off the shelves, something caught her eye. That prat Malfoy had left the book he'd taken out on the table. She snorted and rolled her eyes. How typical. Another Malfoy who thought so high of himself that he believed putting books back in the library to be beneath him. Rose felt disgusted despite his actions being expected.

She walked over to the table that only about half an hour ago Malfoy had been vacating and picked up the abandoned book. It was a potion book on antidotes, which told Rose that he had indeed been working on the same essay as her. She rolled her eyes again and added it to the stack of books she had borrowed. The last thing she wanted to do was perform Scorpius's tasks but she simply couldn't leave the book lying there and force old Madame Pince to put it away. Besides, she was being the bigger woman in the scenario.

After she had returned the books to their rightful homes she exited out of the library and made her way up to Ravenclaw tower, ascending the winding stairs without any rush. She wondered vaguely what Albus was up to - the last she had seen of him had been Arithmancy, the class they shared after lunch. He had said something about needing to tell James something and had politely declined Rose's offer to go to the library together to work on the potions essay (Al was also in her advanced potions class.)

Rose glanced at her watch and it told her that it was 3:01. Students who didn't have a last period spare would be milling out of their classes in four minutes and heading off to their respective common rooms, the quidditch pitch, or even the library, and Rose quickened her pace, not feeling like any confrontations.

Rose was well-known throughout the school for obvious reasons. Her parents had helped with the downfall of Voldemort, the most malevolent and evil wizard ever to walk the Earth. Simply by her family background she demanded attention, but even without her parent's legacy she had her own achievements under her belt. Being the top student in the sixth year earned her a lot of respect, and she was definitely one of the top suspected candidates to be named Head Girl in seventh year. Not to mention Rose had an immensely large collection of cousins and family members distributed throughout the school through a range of ages, making her very connected to people in different years than her and even people in other houses. She was especially familiar with Gryffindor house since her whole family - with the exception of Louis who had graduated last year and had been a Ravenclaw like Rose - were in that house. However despite being well-known Rose liked to keep to herself. She had a select few close friends in Ravenclaw including Lysander Scamander, an old family friend whom she'd known as long as she could remember Jack Davies, and Madeline Quick. People who she knew by face or who knew her often greeted her in the hallways and she always politely waved back, but other than that she was fairly shy and introverted. The entire Weasley/Potter clan were revered by the rest of the school and were popular, and Rose just knew that more than anybody else this bothered Scorpius Malfoy. The only Potter he could talk to was Albus, and he avoided the rest of the family. However for some odd reason Malfoy Junior seemed to have an especial grudge against Rose more than any of her other cousins, even more than Fred and James, who she knew were both up high on Scorpius's least favourite people list. Rose never knew the full reasoning behind this and frankly didn't quite care - as far as she was concerned the dislike between them was very much mutual.

Rose was just thinking this when her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when she ascended the last stretch of stairs leading to the door of the Ravenclaw common room and a projectile white object sailed through the air and hit her square in the face. A sticky yellow liquid began dripping down her cheeks and she stood, shell-shocked, hands glued to her sides and mouth and eyes clamped shut.

Someone had just thrown an egg at her.

Just after this confusing event had occurred a body shoved roughly against her shoulder, knocking her out of the way as if to disorient her further. She could dimly hear somebody muttering under their breath as they descended the stairs behind her. Rose then heard a gasp and the scurrying of footsteps approaching her. "Rose! Rose, I am so, so sorry!" cried a familiar voice. Rose opened her eyes a fraction of a centimetre and recognized the flustered, tear-streaked face of her best friend Maddie Quick. She wiped her face with the sleeve of her grey pull over Hogwarts cardigan and sniffed.

"What's going on?" Rose cried, raising a hand to wipe some of the foul-smelling yolk off her face in disgust. "Why were you throwing eggs? And what's wrong?"

Maddie's lower lip trembled a moment and Rose knew another round of weeping was about to begin so she put her arm around her. "Maddie?"

A small congregation of other sixth and seventh year Ravenclaws, many of which Rose recognized, were crowding around the common room entrance with curious, inquisitive, and some even pitying expressions. Maddie shook her head and sucked in a huge, shaky breath. She glanced at the group of onlookers and they immediately dispersed, going back to their original activities and pretending like nothing had happened. Rose sighed and gave Maddie's shoulder a squeeze. She thought she had an idea of what had happened, and she guided her friend through the entrance and up towards the girl's dormitories.

Once they had made it to the sixth year girl's dorms Maddie sat on her bed and Rose promptly took a seat next to her. "Maddie, what happened?

Maddie was crying in earnest now, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed in between hitching wretched breaths. She turned to face Rose, meeting her eyes, and somehow managing an ironic smile through her tears. "You have yolk in your hair." she muttered, miserably trying to sound upbeat. "Go get cleaned up. I'm fine. Just need a little alone time."

Rose looked at Maddie uncertainly. "Are you sure?" she asked. Maddie nodded and shooed Rose off the bed, pointing towards the bathrooms. Rose pursed her lips together anxiously but finally gave in and headed to the bathroom. The yolk was starting to drip down her neck uncomfortably and the smell was starting to make her gag.

She ran the tap water and splashed her face several times, then used a quick scourgify spell to expel the last of the yolk off her face and neck. When she had deemed herself egg-free she quickly darted back to Maddie's side and put her hand on her arm.

"Maddie, what happened?" she asked again, trying to sound as gentle as possible.

Maddie sniffled and threw her hands up in the air. "What do you think? It's Josh. We fought. I tried to throw an egg at him but he opened the common room door and got out of the way and it hit you instead. I'm so sorry."

Rose had suspected that Maddie's misery had been brought on by her on/off boyfriend Josh. And now that she thought about it, she had noticed a few Ravenclaw students in seventh year practising ovomancy near the door. That must have been where the egg had come from. "Oh, don't be sorry, Mads. I understand. Do you want to talk about it?"

Maddie swallowed thickly and shook her head, her dark brunette hair bouncing and slim hands practically shaking. The tears were, however, beginning to subside, and with one last quaking intake of breath she exhaled, calming and collecting her emotions. "I'm okay." she said, and there was so much conviction in her voice that Rose almost believed it. Almost.

Maddie was good at hiding her feelings.

Rose knew that Maddie wasn't being entirely honest with her. She knew how much pain she was put through every time she and her fickle boyfriend fought. But Rose also knew by the look on Maddie's face that she did not want to talk about it, and that she would rather be left alone. Just to be sure Rose asked once more, gently, if she was okay. Maddie nodded.

"I'm going to just freshen up a bit." she announced, standing up. Rose noticed the way she stumbled slightly and had to grab on to the banister of her four-poster to steady herself. Rose bit her lip. She wanted to talk to Maddie and help her feel better, but knew in her heart of hearts that the best way to aid her would be to leave her alone.

So instead of appearing worried she said, "Okay" in a casual, light tone. Recognizing that the situation called for Maddie having some alone time, she added, "I'm just going to go down to the common room and see if I can catch Lysander. He took my favourite quill today in ancient runes and I really want it back." the white lie came quickly to her lips. Surely Maddie saw through it, but when she turned to look at Rose her face was full of gratitude and an understanding passed between the two of them.

Although her mouth said "Alright" her rich brown eyes whispered "Thank you" and without further ado Rose stood up and left the dorm with one last swift smile at Maddie.

Rose didn't particularly want to go down to the common room, for she didn't feel like socializing, but she reminded herself that it was for Maddie. Unfortunately, since the bell signaling the end of today's lessons had gone off by now the common room had filled up with triple the amount of people there had been earlier, but just because she was in the common room didn't mean she had to go talking to everyone. So, with careful deliberation she retreated to a plush blue armchair near the corner of the busy common room that was relatively empty and which also provided a lovely view of the grounds from through the window. She sat down and was just about to dig in to her favourite muggle novel, _Pride and Prejudice, _when a shadow fell over her. She looked up and was met with the friendly, warm smile of Lysander bearing down on her. She returned his smile because really, if she wanted anyone to be with other than Maddie it was him.

"Hey," he said brightly as he took a swift glance at the book in her hand. "Are you really reading that book again, Rose?"

Rose laughed lightly and shut it before setting it down on the little table in between the two armchairs, wrinkling her nose up a bit. "It's a classic! And it's a brilliant read; I'll never tire of it."

"Of course you won't," Lysander chuckled with a knowing smile. "Mind if I join you?"

"Please, please," Rose replied, gesturing to the armchair in front of her. Lysander's smile widened and he took his seat opposite her. Rose looked around suddenly, as if just noticing the absence of somebody, and frowned. "Where's Jack?" she asked curiously.

Lysander waved his hand dismissively. "Quidditch practice." he said shortly. Rose nodded, remembering him talking about that. They were preparing heavily for the upcoming match against Slytherin, and when Rose glanced outside of the window and got a clear view of the quidditch pitch in the distance she could see minuscule bodies soaring through the air. The clouds were thickening and darkening in the sky and it looked like it was about to rain. The weather had taken an abrupt and unexpected turn to coolness when October had arrived, and people were getting ready for an especially cold winter.

"Ooh, I don't envy him," Rose muttered, listening to the wind whistling through the tower. She bet it was cold out there, and especially up in the air on broomsticks. She could practically feel the stinging slap of the sharp fall breeze piercing her cheeks and nose.

"That makes two of us." Lysander replied, also casting his eyes over the pitch. "Where's Maddie?"

Rose swallowed and leaned closer to Lysander, lowering her voice. "She and Josh had another row." as she leaned away she took in his knowing expression and watched him shake his head in disdain.

"What's she still doing with him? All he ever causes her is grief." he muttered. Rose couldn't help but agree.

"I don't know, Ly, this might be it. It seemed pretty serious, worse than the others. She tried to throw an_ egg_ at him and hit me on accident."

Lysander's bright blue eyed widened in surprise. "Really? Wow." he leaned back in his chair, a concerned expression on his face as he once again cast his eyes out of the window. Rose found herself watching him intently, studying his profile raptly. He turned his head and caught her looking, cocking an eyebrow inquisitively. "What?" he asked. Rose smiled hastily and averted her gaze, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks.

"Nothing." but it _wasn't_ nothing. Lately Rose had discovered herself looking at Lysander in an entirely new light. She supposed it had happened last summer, when she and her entire family had headed over to the Scamander residence to have their annual end of summer barbecue. When she'd entered the house, immediately she searched for Lysander, though she hadn't seen him. When she'd asked Luna where he went she told him he was in the garden digging up gurdyroots.

Excited to see him since she hadn't talked to him much that summer albeit through owl she'd bounded out into the garden only to find Lysander standing over the bed of gurdyroots, completely shirtless. It was an incredibly warm August day, so she could see why he would have tossed aside his shirt while gardening, but she hadn't been able to stop the deep crimson blush from spreading through her cheeks and ears like wildfire. She'd caught his eye and he had smiled nonchalantly as if the fact that his entire upper half was bare didn't bother him in the slightest. Then, after seeing her obviously embarrassed complexion, he had glanced down and looked up at her apologetically while retrieving his shirt.

Rose wasn't sure why seeing him without a shirt had had such an impact on her that day, but she found that ever since that incident she hadn't been able to see him the same. Additionally, earlier in September she and Maddie had been talking about the Yule Ball and wondering who they would go with when Maddie had looked at her funny and asked "Well, Lysander's taking you isn't he?"

That small, insignificant question had sent Rose's head reeling uncomfortably and she hadn't been able to respond. What was it about the question that had caused her such squeamishness? Was it the implications entailed by it that caused her stomach to churn nervously?

She spent a lot of time with Lysander. Everyone at Hogwarts knew it. Rose hadn't dated many boys and Lysander had only had a few girlfriends which hadn't lasted very long. She supposed a lot of people expected her and Lysander to eventually … what? Get married? The thought made Rose's stomach heave and her emotions to get all tangled up. Lysander was her best friend. But, _boyfriend? _It felt wrong somehow. They were so close and had known each other so long they were practically family members. Then again …

Looking at Lysander now and being pulled back to the present, Rose was able to appreciate how good a bloke he was. He was smart, kind, creative, interesting, all traits that Rose hoped to have in a man. He wasn't bad to look at either, with his dirty blond hair and alluring blue eyes and charming, quirky smile. He was a perfect candidate. And yet it still felt odd. Unnatural.

Rose's thoughts were torn into when she heard a shriek of giggles erupt from the cluster of armchairs beside her and Lysander's. She glanced to the side and recognized Elle Chambers and Laura O'Connor of her year chatting animatedly to each other. Rose had to forcibly restrain herself from rolling her eyes. The two were quite smart and lovely separately, but together they were a swirling tornado of gossip and rumours. Rose found all of this a complete waste of time and incredibly over-dramatic.

She was about to turn back to Lysander when she caught two words rallying between the girls like a tennis ball during a fierce match.

"Scorpius Malfoy …"

Rose stiffened a little and frowned. Why did she care what they were saying about Malfoy?

"Rose, did you hear about the newest Malfoy scandal?" Elle cried, noticing Rose and Lysander for the first time and leaning towards them conspiratorially. She glanced at Lysander and smiled sheepishly.

"It's not all that surprising really, I knew from the moment I saw him walking Dempsey to class that something was going on." Laura said. Rose stopped herself from snorting.

"No, I didn't hear about the newest 'scandal'." Rose put heavy emphasis on the last word and used air quotations to stress her sarcasm. "Who cares? Malfoy's a foul git who uses girls and disposes of them like rubbish."

Elle frowned as if disappointed in Rose's lack of enthusiasm of the current girl Malfoy was escorting around like a prize sheep at a carnival. "Well haven't you heard? He'd been dating the chaser on the Slytherin quidditch team, Tally Edwards, right?" Rose admitted that the name did ring a bell and she conjured up in her mind's eye the athletic, dark-haired beauty Scorpius had seen. Rose however didn't let on that she knew any such thing and merely made a small indifferent noise in the back of her throat. Elle rushed on. "Well, he was cheating on her with Elizabeth Dempsey, that seventh year Slytherin girl!" Elle exclaimed this last part like it was the most scandalous thing she'd ever heard, but to Rose it seemed like typical news.

"And this surprises you how?" she asked lamely, face a cool bored mask. "What else is new?"

Elle scowled and grabbed Laura's arm. "Come on, let's go." she was about to walk away with Laura in tow before glancing back at Lysander and smiling flirtatiously. "Bye, Lysander."

"Bye," he said pleasantly, though he had taken to looking out of the window again. Rose rolled her eyes. She knew that Elle had her eye on Lysander and thought he probably knew it too.

"Ugh, who cares about Malfoy and his trail of naïve, broken-hearted exes?" Rose asked, shaking her head again and causing her red hair to bounce. Lysander didn't reply. When she knew he wouldn't say anything she added, "And it's quite obvious that Elle has a thing for you."

Lysander looked up at this, his expression morphing into curiosity and, to Rose's slight dismay, interest. "Really?" he asked lightly, his eyes wandering over to where she and Laura had relocated across the common room. Rose stared at him in shock and felt a wave of nausea hit her. Was Lysander expressing interest in Elle Chambers? Sure, she was pretty enough, but really?

Disgust and maybe a hint of jealousy rose up like bile in the pit of her stomach as she watched Lysander watch Elle. "Of course! She practically fawns over you anytime you're near!"

Again Lysander remained silent, a thoughtful look crossing his features. Rose huffed and felt a lump form in her throat. "I'm going up to the dormitories. See you."

She stood and strode over to the girls dormitories, angry and annoyed and hurt and upset. She felt like a walking hurricane of emotion. Maddie must have had enough alone time by now, right?

When she entered the dormitory she found that Maddie had already gone to sleep, for the curtains of her four-poster were drawn and she could hear her deep, even breaths. Glad that she didn't have to talk to anyone right now, Rose didn't even bother to change into her pajamas and simply crawled in between the sheets of her warm, comfortable bed. She too drew the curtains around her and closed her eyes, waiting for sleep to envelop her.

No such luck.

She felt the anger and annoyance leach out if her body, leaving behind a dull, hollow ache and the sensation that her heart was sinking right down into her feet. She didn't even have the energy to wonder why she was feeling so sad and bundled herself up, listening to the wind whistling through the tower.

Her mind suddenly turned to Scorpius and the way he had got up and left the library all because he couldn't bear to be within her presence. Rose knew she shouldn't care but it still somehow bothered her in ways she hadn't expected or anticipated. They hated each other. They were archenemies.

Then she was inexplicably thinking of Lysander and that thoughtful, almost hopeful look that had inhabited his face when Rose had told him about Elle seeming to fancy him. She felt cold and weak and lonely despite the warmth of her duvet. For Scorpius to express disgust towards her was to be expected. A formality, really. But for Lysander to seem interested in another girl was entirely more hurtful. She felt rejected from all sides.

All of a sudden she felt guilt and disgust towards herself as she digested the thoughts she was thinking. _'Don't _throw a pity party for yourself, Rose,' she thought. It wasn't as if Lysander was her property. And hadn't Rose just been thinking about how it would be 'unnatural' to date him? They were close friends. Nothing more.

So why did it hurt so?


	3. Chapter 3

_Scorpius_

When Scorpius woke up the next morning and trudged into the bathroom in the sixth year Slytherin boys' dormitories he was greeted with the sight of his face sporting a purple bruise blooming on his cheekbone where Edwards had hit him.

Scorpius had to admire her slap.

Groggily he realized that what with both of them being core members of the Slytherin quidditch team there were bound to be hard feelings, completely mucking up the dynamic of the entire squad. He made a mental note _not_ to cheat on anymore girls from the Slytherin quidditch team when he realized that Tally was the only female on it. He sighed and leaned closer to the mirror hanging over the sink in the bathroom, assessing the bruise. Here was living proof that Scorpius was beaten by a girl.

The Hogwarts rumour mill would be having a field day.

By the time he had showered and dressed Christof had gotten off his lazy arse and started pulling on any clothes he could find. Crabbe and Goyle, the other two sixth years who shared the dormitory, were evidently already down at breakfast, no doubt pigging out as usual. The atmosphere between Christof and Scorpius was terse and thick, the silence stretching out and hanging over their heads like an ominous black cloud.

Finally Christof broke the silence with a sigh as Scorpius was pulling on a sock. "Listen, Scorp, I'm sorry about your girl problems."

Christof wasn't very good at subtlety. Or apologies.

Scorpius shot him daggers with his eyes and Christof knew he'd said the wrong thing. Without looking back Scorpius slung his bag over his shoulder and headed down to the great hall alone. He knew he should be seething with annoyance but found he didn't have the strength or energy. Instead he just felt lonely.

Although people beckoned for him to join them at the Slytherin table he ignored them and took a seat at the far end close to the head table. He was experiencing that special feeling of loneliness in which although he was suffering he still did not want to seek other's company. He realized that he'd been feeling this way quite often recently.

He noticed Tally Edwards glaring at him from the other end of the table but she looked away the moment their eyes made contact. She was angry at him. Of course. She had every right to be, he supposed, though she knew what she was signing up for when she started to fancy him. Anger he could deal with. But with a quick sweep of the Slytherin table he noticed that Elizabeth was nowhere to be found. A small, uncomfortable pull at his gut forced him to look down at his empty plate. He recognized a few of her friends sitting a little ways down from him, whispering to together and giving him icy cold looks.

He could deal with Edwards's anger. Respect it, even. But for some reason the thought of Elizabeth curled up in a ball in her dormitory, crying, caused a wave of nausea to flow through him.

Ugh. When had he gotten so bloody _sympathetic? _

Disgusted and angry with himself he loaded up his plate with anything and everything within arm's reach. However when he looked down at the food piled up on his plate his stomach churned and he suddenly felt the urge to vomit. He simply couldn't eat it. And now he felt greedy and wasteful.

Just then Christof took a seat beside him and slid Scorpius's overflowing plate towards him, picking up a fork and digging in. Scorpius tried for a scowl but couldn't - in fact all he could feel was gratefulness. But he didn't let Christof know that.

"So, not speaking to each other are we?" he asked around a mouthful of fried eggs. Scorpius cringed in disgust and sighed heavily. He didn't have the strength to be angry anymore. In fact, he wasn't even entirely sure why he was mad in the first place. He shook his head.

"Sorry. I uh, overreacted." Scorpius muttered in a low voice, looking down at his hands. "I've been in a bad mood lately."

"You can say that again." Christof chuckled. His face sobered when he caught Scorpius glaring at him. He put his hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have teased you." That was better.

Scorpius nodded but didn't feel the need to say anything else. The two fell into a comfortable silence in which Christof shoveled down mouthfuls of food and Scorpius looked anywhere but Tally Edwards.

And suddenly, without even realizing it, his eyes fell on Weasley. Scorpius grimaced and he felt his blood beginning to boil as he watched her pick away at her dry toast. Clearly she didn't have much of an appetite either. She was sitting with that foul little swot she always hung around whom Scorpius wasn't sure the name of (Maggie? Molly?) and looked dejected. Her flaming red bushy hair was even wilder than usual and her blue eyes were rimmed with circles as if she hadn't slept for days. Scorpius wondered why she seemed upset. Immediately after he wondered with a pang of self-loathing why he was wondering.

And then, agonizingly, impossibly, she looked up.

Sky blue met steely grey and a confused expression passed across her face when she caught him watching her. Instantly Scorpius shot a sneer at her and she rolled her eyes. They simultaneously looked in opposite directions and Scorpius was left with a sour, bitter taste in his mouth. Why had he been looking? Why had the swotty half-blood had the nerve to look back? Scorpius could have kicked himself. What was wrong with him today?

"Hey, you okay?" Christof asked. Scorpius glanced at him before shying away from his penetrating gaze. Sometimes he had the odd feeling that Christof could read his mind. However this was an irrational fear since Scorpius was a very accomplished occlumens and knew that Christof would never have the strength to look into his mind. Still, perhaps years and years of friendship has caused them to be somewhat attuned to each other's emotions based on body language and facial expression and general behaviour.

This is why friends are dangerous. They know too much.

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders and grunted, noncommittal. Christof sighed in agitation and set his fork down on the plate with a pleasant clicking sound.

"What's with the wounded puppy act?" he asked, though his voice did not sound particularly discriminating. "Is this Tally/Liz thing really getting to you?"

Scorpius felt his temper rising again. "No! Of course not!" he replied. Who did Christof think he was? "I just feel a little under the weather."

Christof made a scoffing, disbelieving sound in the back of his throat and pushed his plate away from him. "Well maybe you should go see Pomfrey."

Scorpius grit his teeth "Are you done?" he asked, an edge of annoyance in his voice.

"Breakfast?" Christof asked, a little too innocently.

"That's not what I meant."

"Yes, I am. Come on, let's go to class." Christof said, standing up. Many other students were now beginning to filter out of the dining hall and head to their first period classes. Scorpius had potions first and with the feeling of a ton of bricks being loaded upon his shoulders remembered the untouched essay he'd attempted to write and had failed at. Another touch of defeat and anger punched him in the gut.

"Right." he said. He stood, shouldered his bag, and grimaced again. Double potions first. Weasley. He glanced at her as if reflexively to see that she too was collecting her things and getting ready to leave. Scorpius forced himself to look away and followed Christof out of the dining hall.

The morning sped by in the blink of an eye. Before he knew it, he and Christof were making their way down to the quidditch pitch for the next practice. The upcoming match against Ravenclaw was looming on the horizon and since Gryffindor and Slytherin had narrowly tied the last game, the stakes were high. Gryffindor had beat Hufflepuff only by a slim amount, and if Slytherin managed to win against Ravenclaw with a margin of 50 points or greater they'd be in the lead for the cup. The captain of the team, Adrian Clark, was drilling them with the crazed lunacy of a stage mother dressing up her children for pageants.

"Looks like it's going to rain again," Christof commented, lifting his head and staring up at the sky, where heavy storm clouds had begun collecting. Scorpius inwardly groaned. Another wet, rainy practice. Not to mention he'd have to work with Tally. Terrific.

The second they entered the change room Clark began scolding and lecturing them on the importance of punctuality and did they want to lose against Ravenclaw and be runner-up to those lousy Gryffindors? Scorpius simply tuned out as he quickly dressed, used to the endless banter of their quidditch mad coach.

Just as he was calling for all the members of the team to take a seat while he talked to them about tactics Tally emerged, fully dressed in her chaser uniform and looking just as darkly beautiful as always. Scorpius dutifully avoided looking at her in the eye and the room suddenly became charged with uneasy tension. Malcolm Samuels, one of the beaters, kept glancing between them nervously and it was not missed to the team when Tally purposely sat on the opposite side of the room from where Scorpius was. After a short, awkward pause Clark cleared his throat.

"Right, now that we're all here, let's talk strategy." Clark clapped his hands together and began drawing plays on the huge pad of parchment behind him. Scorpius was unable to listen while he droned on and on about drills and formations and longed to be out on his broom, even though he could hear the beginnings of faint drops of rain hitting the roof of the change room.

It seemed like an eternity before Clark finally announced that they had discussed enough and that it was time they mounted their brooms and got to working on the plays. Scorpius couldn't be happier as the team headed out of the change room and onto the pitch, their brooms over their shoulders. Christof stuck to his side between him and Tally which Scorpius felt very grateful of. He couldn't seem to look at her.

"Alright, chasers -" Clark promptly pointed at Tally, Alec Marshall, and Anthony Jones, the three chasers on the team - "I want you two to work on the phalanx formation we discussed today. Samuels, you and I are going to work on our strength when hitting the bludgers. Zabini, I want you in goal while the chasers work on their moves so you can practice goal keeping. And Malfoy -"

Clark paused as his dark brown eyes fell on Scorpius. A malicious glint sparkled within them that made Scorpius slightly uneasy. He had always secretly thought that Clark had something against him, and Scorpius figured it might be that he had almost been voted captain at the beginning of this year, which would have prematurely ended Clark's reign. Ever since September 1 he'd been particularly cool to Scorpius. However when Clark's dark gaze pierced through him Scorpius remained blank and expressionless as ever, waiting for instruction.

After what seemed to be some contemplation, Clark clucked his tongue. "Malfoy, I'm going to let you go do your own thing this practice. Work on your flying, agility, and speed. You can also set the snitch free and try to catch it."

Scorpius was highly surprised. Clark never went easy on him, and in fact worked him harder than anyone else on the team. Scorpius couldn't help but wonder if Clark had some ulterior motives for letting him off the hook. Still, Scorpius nodded curtly and didn't comment.

"Alright, now that you've got your orders I want three laps of the pitch, then you can start." he called. There were a few small groans but Scorpius was glad Clark had issued this order, for he felt he needed a good run to clear his mind of all the cobwebs. He was the first to get going and the first to finish, nearly lapping Malcolm Samuels, who was much heavier-set due to being a beater and not as quick.

Clark nodded at him when he was done and Scorpius went to retrieve his broom before opening the box which contained the quidditch balls. He unlatched the tiny compartment the held the golden snitch and let it free, watching it for a minute before losing it through the static-charged air. He could practically smell lightning brewing in the clouds above and the rain was coming down in earnest now, no longer hesitant little drops but pelting sheets of water. Before he knew it he was drenched.

Ignoring the rain, Scorpius mounted his broomstick after giving the snitch a bit of a head start and pushed off the ground hard, soaring into the air and feeling the chill wind slap against his face.

It was utter bliss to be back out on the pitch, and even though every once in a while he and Tally would cross paths in the air Scorpius felt better than he had since he woke up that morning. The rain didn't entirely wash him free of his guilt about what he'd done to Tally and Liz, but it certainly distracted him at the time and it felt wonderful.

Unfortunately, the practice was ended early when lightning began to strike in the distance and Clark had to shout at the top of his lungs in order for the team to hear him. Sopping wet and freezing cold, the team headed into the dry change rooms.

Scorpius was infinitely glad that Tally was in the girl's change room so that he wouldn't have to be so very close to her. Clark told everyone that it was a great practice as Scorpius and Christof headed out of the door.

They sprinted their way back to the castle through the torrential downpour and were both glad when they reached the warmth of the Great Hall to welcome them. Talking idly of their chances against Ravenclaw and the new plays Clark had devised, they headed down to the Slytherin common room in the dungeons.

Christof issued the password and they climbed through the portrait hole. The common room was relatively busy but mostly only older students were clustered in armchairs, chatting or working on homework. With a stabbing pain in his temple Scorpius remembered the essay he had to complete.

"I think I'm going to work on the potions essay. It's due tomorrow and I've barely started," Scorpius said, even though he hadn't gotten _any_ of the essay done all because of a certain red-haired witch.

Swot.

Christof nodded in agreement since he hadn't started his either and the two chose a spot in the back where they could work on their essays in peace. They sat down and even though the common room was filled with noises Scorpius was actually able to get some words down on the parchment in front of him. When he was about halfway done he noticed somebody approaching them. Spencer Nott was walking towards them wearing his Hogwarts uniform in perfect shape and smiling that grim, somewhat eerie smile of his.

Although Scorpius's only true friend was Christof, if he somehow had to transfer to Durmstrang he supposed Spencer would fill in his spot. Spencer was in their year and much less thick as Crabbe and Goyle, whom Scorpius couldn't stand despite being family friends. Spencer was a quiet bloke, but very smart and sharp, and they'd actually become friends in third year. A lot of people thought Spencer was 'creepy', but this wasn't true. To Scorpius, Spencer just seemed shy and a little quirky. Perhaps the reason why people found him to be a little intimidating was because of his incredibly dark eyes and deep brown hair which was longer than most boys at the school, as well as the way he walked with somewhat of a hunch to his shoulders.

"Hey," he said, sitting down in the vacant chair beside Christof and dumping his bag on the floor.

"Hey," Scorpius and Christof said in practical unison and they caught one another's eyes.

"I heard about Tally and Liz," Spencer said. An odd stabbing sensation spread through Scorpius's chest at the reminder of the girls he'd cheated on and he frowned, wondering why he was feeling so bleeding _guilty_ about it.

Scorpius attempted to play it off by keeping his tone conversational and light. "Oh, yeah well it was bound to happen someday. And I was getting bored with them anyway." He almost winced but stopped himself. He realized only after he'd said it how awful it sounded.

"I heard Liz was really upset. Skipped today's classes and everything." Another penetrating pang. "Tally seems to be taking it better, though. She just seems angry than upset."

"Let's just talk about something else, yeah?" Scorpius asked with an edge of anger in his voice. Spencer studied him, a curious and confused expression crossing over his face before it arranged back into the cool, calm, neutral mask he always wore.

"Sure. How was quidditch practice?"

"D'you reckon I should, like, apologize or something?" Scorpius had opened his mouth and said the words before he even knew what he was doing. His eyes widened and he immediately wished he could take it back. Sure, he didn't want to sound like a complete arse. But he didn't want to sound like a sap either. He could have kicked himself.

Christof snorted and nearly knocked the contents of his ink bottle onto his half-done essay. "Wow, Scorp, I didn't know 'apologize' was in your vocabulary," he snickered and even Spencer offered a sheepish smile. Scorpius felt his temper rising and his cheeks practically flushed in embarrassment. Why had he said it? Why?

He rolled his eyes and tried to play it off. "I only meant ... well ... because Tally's on the quidditch team." Scorpius quickly invented. "And I wouldn't want her being cross at me to alter the ... the team dynamics."

"Sounds to me like you're just looking for petty excuses," Christof said, and without having to see his face Scorpius knew he was smiling broadly. Scorpius scowled and looked at Spencer, who was watching him with a thoughtful expression.

"It's not an excuse! It's true! We have to beat those bloody Ravenclaws or we'll be losing to the Gryffindor!" Scorpius protested, but even to him it sounded pathetic.

"I think Scorp's going soft on us, Spencer." Christof chuckled. Scorpius balled his hands into fists and shook his head vehemently.

"What are you on about? I'm the same person I was yesterday."

"Before or after you got slapped five times in the face?" Christof asked sarcastically. "Because if you mean before than I beg to differ."

Scorpius gritted his teeth and glared at Christof, but clearly it wasn't as effective as he had hoped because Christof just grinned wider, knowing he was right. "Just drop it, Christof. I'm no different."

However, Christof had taken to ignoring him and was rattling on about how Scorpius had been acting oddly ever since the girls had found out about his disloyalty. Scorpius felt like a cornered animal. "And you know what?" he said, pausing dramatically. "I reckon you've lost your way with the witches."

Scorpius could not take any more of this. He tried not to show in his face how angry he was and instead put on a mask of cool disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about. Girls _love _me. They practically fall all over me and beg me to sleep with them."

"Oh, really?" Christof asked, snickering again. Spencer was still looking at Scorpius thoughtfully, and it was starting to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Yes. Watch this." Scorpius sat up in his chair and searched the common room for a girl to prey on. He'd show Christof. That sod.

Finally he spotted Isabelle Davis from their year sitting close by with a few older girls Scorpius vaguely recognized but couldn't recall the names of. He thought maybe they were friends with Liz, but he wasn't sure.

"Oi! Isabelle!" Scorpius called. She looked up when he said her name and her almond eyes fell on him when she identified the voice. Her eyebrows pulled together. Scorpius didn't even wait for her to respond. "How about you and I go to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

To Scorpius's anger Isabelle rolled her eyes and snorted. "Grow up, Scorpius." she said, before turning back to her friends. Ouch. That stung.

Scorpius could barely stand to look Christof in the face, who was laughing his arse off while Spencer smiled quietly. Somehow Spencer's knowing grin was worse than Christof's guffaws.

"Yeah, real smooth Scorp," he said in between peals of laughter. "You see? My point is proven."

Scorpius glanced back at Isabelle sourly. Why had she refused him? It didn't make any sense. Scorpius had purposely chosen Isabelle because she wasn't particularly pretty, nor was she at the top of the popularity chain, and she would surely say yes to someone like him. He was good-looking and played quidditch and was rich and popular and a pure-blood - so why had she turned him down?

"Look, the only reason why she rejected me is because she's friends with Liz." Scorpius protested, though he wasn't even sure if that was true. "And plus she must've heard about the thing with her and Tally and she's probably just worried I'll do it to her. It's got nothing to do with me."

"Oh, I think it's got everything to do with you, mate." Christof laughed. It was odd how Christof could say such rude things and still sound friendly.

"Listen, I am _not _going soft. And I'm not losing my touch with women! I could have any girl in this school if you gave me a little time." Scorpius said, and even though he felt skeptical of himself his voice was surprisingly confident.

"Oh, really?" Christof scoffed, shaking his head. "If you could have any girl in school why did Isabelle just crush your offer into the ground?"

Scorpius's scowl returned. "Because ... because you didn't give me enough _time_ to work my magic! Given some time and a little effort she'd be begging me to take her."

"Some cocky words for someone who just got rejected," Christof smiled. He rolled his eyes at Scorpius's expression and sighed. "Fine. Let's propose a bet."

"A bet?" Scorpius echoed. "What do you mean?"

"Alright here's how it goes. I get to pick a girl from our school that you have to get to like you. If you succeed, then I'll give you something. But if not ..." a wicked grin crossed over his face. "Not only will I get bragging rights but you _also_ have to do my ancient runes translations for two months."

It was Scorpius's turn to roll his eyes. "You're doing this all so I'll do your homework for you?" he snorted, but really his interest had piqued. He paused. "If ... if I agreed to this 'bet', what would I get in return?"

Christof seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Well, as well as the knowledge that you bested me -" Scorpius smiled and relished the thought - "I'll also give you fifty galleons."

Scorpius laughed sarcastically and shook his head. A thought was forming in his mind. "Christof, we both know I don't need gold. No. If we're going to do this, then I want you to do a dare if I win. A dare of my choosing. And it could be anything."

Christof narrowed his eyes a little and seemed to weigh out the pros and cons. Finally he said, "Okay. Fine. But we need to lay down some ground rules for the bet."

"That's just what I was thinking." Scorpius said, leaning back in his chair. He had this in the bag. He could feel it.

"Right. So this so-called 'dare' can't involve me being expelled or suspended or getting in trouble with teachers. Nor can it involve me breaking the law and getting thrown into Azkaban."

"Of course not. Who do you think I am?" Scorpius cried almost indignantly. Why would he want his best friend to get expelled? "The dare will just be something to embarrass you."

"Okay." Christof agreed. "Do we have a deal?" he reached out his hand and Scorpius narrowed his own eyes.

"Hang on. I haven't said my requirements." Christof rolled his eyes and gestured for him to go on resignedly. "The girl you pick has to be in our year. And she can't be a total troll, either. She has to be at _least_ a six. And I get four months to work on her."

Christof's eyes widened and he shook his head vigorously. "No way! That's way too long! Two months, max."

"Three."

"Two and a half?"

"Deal." Scorpius smiled. He _had_ this.

Finally, Spencer interjected. "Are you two really doing this?" Scorpius glanced at him. He was looking at them in a disappointed way, and for a moment he reminded him of a school professor regarding a student who did poorly on the last test.

"Yeah! It'll be hilarious!" Christof replied. "And it'll help me prove my point, or vice versa, depending on who's right."

Spencer looked skeptical and sighed, shaking his head. "You two are bonkers. I'm going up to the dormitories. See you."

With that he left, picking up his bag and striding away. Scorpius watched him go and thought of how much of a spoil sport he was being. Then again ... did Spencer have a point?

Scorpius shoved the thought from his mind. Who cared? And besides, wasn't he trying to prove to Christof that he wasn't going soft?

"What's his deal?" Christof asked, watching Spencer disappear behind the door leading to the boy's dorms. Scorpius shrugged and dismissed Nott from his mind.

"So, who've you got in mind?" Scorpius asked, genuinely curious and a little nervous. He hoped to Merlin that Christof wouldn't pick somebody terribly awful.

Of course, this was Christof he was thinking of. And he wasn't one to go down without a fight.

"Oh, I've got someone," he said, and Scorpius did not like the malicious little glint in his eye. He smiled mischievously and Scorpius knew he was in for some trouble.

"Well go on, then! Who?" Scorpius cried as a desperate feeling of anxiety rose up in his stomach. It would be fine. He couldn't pick somebody _that_ bad.

But Scorpius was wrong.

Because then Christof said, "Rose Weasley."


	4. Chapter 4

_Rose_

Rose couldn't recall why when she woke up that morning there was an unpleasant, hollow ache in her body. Then suddenly everything came back to her in a rush and she had to lie back down before she fainted. The curtains of her four-poster were still drawn but she could make out the sounds of Maddie, Elle, and Laura getting ready for the day. Laura was ranting about an assignment she hadn't finished and Elle was attempting to comfort her by telling her to go to the library at lunch and complete it then. She wanted to block them all out, even Maddie, and just lie in bed all day.

But she didn't.

"You're up!" Maddie said, almost gratefully, beaming. Maddie and Rose had bonded over the fact that they were both mutually compatible with each other. Rose could handle Laura and Elle, but Maddie was even more introverted than her. Rose knew for a fact that she didn't like being alone with their two talkative dorm mates and she couldn't blame her. Rose smiled at her and dressed quickly so they could head down to the Great Hall.

They entered the dining hall and made their way over to the ravenclaw table. With a wrenching pull in Rose's gut she saw Lysander sitting in their usual spot, the Daily Prophet held up in one hand and a mug of tea in the other. Rose didn't really want to sit with him this morning and was about to tug Maddie in the opposite direction when he looked up and smiled at them. He set down his mug and waved the girls over. Rose internally groaned, knowing she couldn't get out of this. Maddie lead the way to the seat across from Lysander and sat down, Rose following shortly after. She couldn't quite meet the eyes of the dirty blond-haired wizard.

"Morning," he said cheerily. Maddie replied with a slight smile and Rose nodded, staring down at her plate. Just then a body sat down on the bench next to her and she shuffled over a bit as Jack set his bag down on the ground.

"Hey guys," Jack said. Rose looked up at him and immediately noticed the bluish purple circles under his eyes and the definite slump of his shoulders. It looked as though he were struggling to keep his eyelids aloft.

"Didn't sleep well?" Rose asked him, a note of concern in her voice. He sighed heavily and reached for the teapot.

He merely responded, "Does this have caffeine in it?" Lysander nodded and Jack immediately filled his goblet to the brim, not even bothering to add sugar or milk before taking a hearty chug. He winced. "Ack, burnt my tongue. Merlin, that's strong."

"Jack, I think you're working yourself too hard," Maddie said as she bent over to look at him. She appeared to be worried, her eyebrows creased and face drawn. "You'll run yourself into the ground!"

Rose silently agreed with Maddie but did not voice her opinion when she saw the annoyed expression on Jack's face. "I'm fine, Mads, really. Just a little tired."

The four companions fell silent, succumbing to the noises of the dining hall for a moment. Still unable to look at Lysander Rose instead directed her attention anywhere else, when all of a sudden her eyes were locked with none other than Scorpius Malfoy's.

For a split second - a fraction of a second, really - his expression seemed soft and curious. It was not something Rose had ever seen on him before. But as soon as their eyes met he immediately sent his trademark sneer her way and Rose responded with a roll of her eyes. She looked back down at her plate but couldn't seem to get the image of him out of her head. It was as if his face was imprinted into the backs of her eyelids. Why had he been looking at her? That soft expression she'd thought she'd seen on his face must have been her imagination. Or a trick of light.

Yeah.

The rest of breakfast was a quiet affair, and Rose was perfectly okay with it. Her mind was reeling and she was so absorbed in her thoughts that even if she did have the energy to participate in a legitimate conversation she probably wouldn't be able to articulate coherently. Rose was somewhat relieved when Maddie suggested they head to their first period class - advanced double potions with the slytherins. Oh joy.

Jack looked away and blushed. He was the only one out of their friend group who hadn't made it into the advanced potions class. When he'd seen he hadn't gotten the required O.W.L.s he played it off, saying he didn't need it anyway, but Rose knew he was a little upset at not having been put in. "Right, I have a spare. You guys go ahead, I think I fancy a walk around the grounds."

Maddie glanced at him from underneath her lashes. An expression Rose couldn't discern passed over her face. Then it was gone. "Alright. Have fun." With that her, Lysander and Rose stood and retreated out of the dining hall, beginning their descent down to the dungeons with heavy hearts.

The day flew by in what felt like a blink of an eye. The next thing Rose knew she was collecting her things in the ravenclaw dormitory and getting ready for the Prefect meeting. She stalled in the girl's dormitory, deliberately packing and unpacking and organizing all the things she needed in her bag and checking her reflection. Rose wasn't looking forward to the meeting. Lysander was the other ravenclaw sixth year prefect and throughout the entire day she'd barely made any contact or conversation with him. Rose could tell he was very put off because he kept staring at her, trying to engage her with meaningless chitchat or shooting her questioning looks. Eventually after Rose's lame, one-syllable responses to his attempts he gave up and they hadn't talked since. After one last and unnecessary glance at her face in the mirror hanging over the sink in the dormitory bathroom she steeled what little courage she had inherited from her gryffindor parents and began the descent to the common room. To her intense relief she didn't see Lysander among the students sitting in armchairs reading, talking, or doing homework. Rose exhaled and set her shoulders back, trying to feel more confident - or at least look more confident than she felt. She exited the common room and bounded down the spiralling staircase of ravenclaw tower alone.

However she wasn't alone for long.

As Rose was turning the corner on the second floor that led to the prefect meeting room she was intercepted by a tall, trim figure with dirty blond hair and inquisitive blue eyes.

Cornered.

She took a step back but Lysander just stepped right towards her again, closing the small distance between them. Rose would have kept backing up but found that her back was practically pressing against the wall. She forced herself to look at her shoes instead of his eyes.

"Rose. What's going on? Why have you been avoiding me and refusing to look at me?" he demanded. Rose could detect real hurt in his voice and it made her heart swell up and then freeze over again. She was pretending to be fascinated with her shoelaces when she felt a finger gently touch the underside of her chin and tilt her head up until she was forced to look into his eyes. They were swimming with sadness and confusion and despair, darker than usual and resembling not a clear sky but a cloudy, overcast storm. When she looked into his eyes, really looked into them, she felt something, something warm and sweet and indescribable but lovely all the same. And then it was gone and she was left with coldness and confusion and annoyance. Rose tried to avert her eyes and he sighed dejectedly.

"Look at me," he said softly. "Please." Rose reluctantly obliged but decided not to look directly into his eyes. Instead she focused on his lips. Which looked surprisingly soft and inviting. She knew she should look somewhere - anywhere - else, but found herself fascinated. They parted slightly and Rose heard a small shaky intake of breath, but whether it was hers or Lysander's she didn't know because the next second his lips were on hers.

At first all she could really register was how soft and warm they were and how effortlessly he ensnared her with his hands by wrapping them around her waist and pulling her closer to him, closing the gap between them. Then suddenly Rose's hands were entwined in his hair, pulling him closer to her, needing to simply _feel_ him.

But it was over before she could feel anything else. And he was gone. And Rose was alone in the corridor, the ghost of his kiss lingering on her lips.

_Scorpius_

At first Scorpius thought that he was joking.

But after staring at Christof for an indeterminable period Scorpius realized that his friend was dead serious.

His immediate thought: not a chance in hell.

There was no way he was going to try to get that swotty know-it-all half-blood Weasley to like him. The thought was vile, repellent, disgusting - and surprisingly malicious.

Scorpius thought about it some more while Christof smiled at him smugly. Sure, Rose Weasley wasn't a pure-blood and sure she was a Weasley and sure her parents were his archenemies and sure he hated her with every fibre of his being but ... but ...

What if he was somehow able to succeed in getting the swot to like him? The ultimate revenge of making her fall in love with him and them dumping her sorry arse, leaving her heartbroken and miserable was too sweet to resist. And didn't he need to re-establish his reputation of being a Malfoy, a heart-breaker, and a womanizer? Everyone in slytherin house was probably laughing at him behind his back for getting caught by Tally and Liz and then actually feeling sorry about it, and now more than ever Scorpius needed to regain his status as a pure-blood male dominant slytherin. Pretending to like Rose Weasley, making her fall for him, and then turning around and dumping her would surely remind everyone that Scorpius Malfoy was mean, desirable, and powerful.

"So? What do you say?" Christof asked eagerly. Scorpius grinned devilishly.

"You're on."

"I didn't think you'd actually agree to it!" Christof exclaimed, a mixture of awe, surprise, and curiosity displayed openly on his face.

Scorpius felt unreasonably defensive at this comment and scowled subconsciously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Easy," Christof muttered. "I just meant ... Well, it's Rose Weasley we're talking about here."

The blond-haired slytherin rolled his grey blue eyes and sighed. "Are we still on for the bet, or aren't we?"

Christof jumped out of his chair and held out his hand to Scorpius, grinning madly. "Shake on it?" Scorpius begrudgingly stood and clasped hands with Christof before collapsing onto the chair and pinching the bridge of his nose between his pale, slender forefinger and thumb.

"Right. So how am I going to do this? I hate to admit it, but I think Weasley hates me almost as much as I do her. That swotty half-blood has a stick so far up her arse I'm surprised she can even sit." Scorpius commented crudely, shaking his head.

"I don't know, mate," Christof replied. Scorpius narrowed his eyes slightly at the mischievous grin plastered across his face, which seemed even more sly than usual. "But you'd better figure it out; you only have so much time." With one last wink Christof rose from his chair, and slinging his bag over his shoulder rubbed his hands together in a very characteristic gesture. "I'm going up to the dorms. Are you coming?"

Scorpius sat still for a moment, pausing and thinking. Finally, he said: "No, I'll catch up with you later."

Christof shrugged lightly and nodded. "Alright. See you." With that he turned and disappeared through the door leading to the boy's dormitories. Scorpius studied his hands and pondered for a moment, almost regretting accepting his friend's ridiculous bet.

But then the thought of that half-blood know-it-all's prude little heart breaking welled up inside of him and he knew it would be worth it, in the end, just to take her down from her high pedestal. He despised the way she and that arrogant army of family members paraded around the school as if they owned the place, and he desperately wanted to put them in their place at last - especially that Rose Weasley. The thought of her nose pointed into the air and her wild, untamed mane of hair made him irrationally angry, and he found himself clenching his hands into fists.

He would show her. Already a plan was formulating in his mind, a plan sure to help him succeed in getting her to fall for him.

All he needed was a bit of control. And Scorpius relished the thought of controlling his sworn enemy.


	5. Chapter 5

The prefect meeting had been uncomfortable, to say the least.

Rose dared not look at Lysander, but when she did sneak a tiny peek at him at regular intervals throughout the meeting she found that he was doing his best to avoid her as well. This angered, confused, and worried Rose all at the same time - an altogether unpleasant smorgasbord of mixed up emotions. Questions were spiralling around in her head at dizzying rates, none of them logical or even in the slightest bit answerable. Lysander kissing her had been one of the most unexpected events she'd ever experienced, and she didn't know how she felt about it. It had been alien, strange, but somehow intriguing at the same time. She'd liked the way his lips had felt against hers, or at least she thought she had. It had seemed much too short for her to get a good read on how she felt about it. It wasn't as if Rose hadn't thought about what it would be like to kiss Lysander; in fact, often times she found herself completely consumed by the idea of feeling his body against hers, one of his hands at the small of her back and the other knotted into her hair. But when she ever thought this she felt somewhat repelled - Lysander was like a brother to her. Right?

Clearly that wasn't the case if she often envisioned herself kissing him. Still, the kiss had been strange to say the least. Not necessarily uncomfortable, but just indescribably _odd._

She had hardly even been able to concentrate all throughout the meeting without her eyes inexplicably wandering over to Lysander, and more specifically his lips, and thus when she walked out of the room when it was over she was completely at a loss as to what was discussed. She realized with a pang that her vague and distant behaviour and not to mention lack of input during the meeting wouldn't reflect well on her campaign of becoming head girl. She shoved the thought out of her mind and busied herself with getting back to the Ravenclaw common room without running into Lysander.

However, it turned out there hadn't been much need for Rose to rush so, for it seemed that Lysander was equally as intent as avoiding her as she was him. When she stepped into the sixth year girl's dormitories and noticed Maddie sitting on her four-poster finishing up an essay she plastered on a false smile.

Maddie looked up when she entered and returned a smile, though genuine, before it disappeared and was replaced with concern. "Rose, are you okay?" She asked. Rose swallowed and suddenly envisioned herself lying on her back on a bed of grass in the field outside the Scamander residence, her fiery hair fanned out on the ground and the last of the sun's feeble reddish rays stretching across the clearing and warming her bare toes, Lysander lying contentedly beside her, their shoulders just brushing against each other's. She remembered vividly the way he'd turned onto his side to watch her, and she'd given him a funny look which only made him grin wider.

"You can never conceal your emotions, Rose," the ghostly sound of his voice echoed and reverberated thrillingly in her mind. "You're like an open book."

Rose was snapped to the present with an unpleasant jolt when Maddie called her back to reality. She shook herself mentally and attempted to recollect her scattered thoughts. She had no idea where that sudden memory had come from, or why it had resurfaced, but assumed it must have had something to do with the fact that Maddie could see through her so poorly constructed façade. Or perhaps because Lysander had looked particularly attractive that day and she'd just snogged him in a corridor less than two hours ago.

She pretended to busy herself with rooting around in her bag so that Maddie couldn't discern her expression and she walked towards her four-poster as casually as she could. "Of course, everything's totally fine. Why do you ask?" Rose wasn't sure what had brought the lie to her lips - perhaps it was simply because she was already in a state of disbelief, and still couldn't manage to wrap her head around the fact that she'd just kissed her best friend let alone articulate it to her _other_ best friend. She sat on her bed and turned her back to Maddie, hoping she wouldn't press her.

"You just seem a little ..." Maddie trailed off and Rose held her breath. "Never mind. How was the prefect meeting?"

Rose sighed a breath of relief and gratefulness to her friend, who wasn't in the least nosy and didn't pry. This was one of the many things Rose adored about Maddie, and it was a relief to meet another human being whose life mission wasn't to invade others personal lives; a trait which was common to the Weasley/Potter clan.

After that they only made idle small talk, exchanging worries and stresses about the workload or commenting on a particularly interesting class, and soon the conversation dwindled until a comfortable silence settled over the two. Not a few minutes later Elle and Laura entered, giggling and chatting insolently as they got ready for bed. Rose turned over in her four-poster, drawing the curtains around it and burrowing under the satiny silk covers. Her mind couldn't stop replaying the kiss between her and Lysander, and she marvelled at the softness of his lips, the sureness of his hands, the tenderness that seemed to flow through their embrace. She tried to recall feeling something - _anything_ - that could help her sort out what her feelings towards him were, but she simply couldn't, and it frustrated her beyond belief. She absolutely detested not knowing, and not knowing something that should be so obvious annoyed her even more.

Finally she fell into a restless and uneasy sleep.

Rose drifted through the aisle, tentatively reaching out one hand to trail her index finger over the spines of each book she came in contact with. A small, dreamy smile spread across her lips and she closed her eyes, reveling in the bookish smell of the Hogwarts library. The comforting and familiar scent relaxed her, and she felt part of the tension she was carrying around all day begin to lessen. It was Friday, and Rose couldn't be happier that the week was over. It had been an emotional rollercoaster full of twists and unexpected incidents; Lysander's kiss being the prime example. She still hadn't worked up the courage to speak to him and could barely meet his eyes. It seemed that he felt the same, for he made no attempts to speak to her either. Other than exchanging a few mild and stiff pleasantries when the two were in a group with Jack and Maddie they hadn't mentioned anything about the kiss in the corridor. Rose wondered if this cold spell between them would last forever, and the thought brought a heart-wrenching pang to her soul. She didn't want to lose Lysander; even if they weren't meant to be together romantically, which Rose wasn't sure of at the moment, she still wanted to stay friends with him. They had known each other practically their whole lives. How could one little kiss destroy something that powerful, so long-term?

Rose opened her eyes and scanned the bookshelf in front of her. For some odd reason she felt inclined to reading _Hogwarts: A History_ for what felt like the millionth time, though she wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps what she really longed for now was a bit of stability, something dependable and consistent and unchanging. She needed solid ground. She was sick of change.

She inhaled through her nose and finally located the book she was seeking. Rose stood on tiptoe and reached her hand up to retrieve it but found that it was too high for her. Disgruntled and slightly annoyed, Rose stretched her entire body in a futile attempt to snatch the book from its place on the shelf, but to no avail. That's when out of nowhere Rose heard somebody approach from behind her, and stared in shock as an arm reached over her, pinched the spine of _Hogwarts: A History_ between pale, slender fingers, and withdrew it from its place on the shelf.

Rose whirled around, her heart suddenly beating very fast, and came face-to-face with Scorpius Malfoy.

Appalled and shocked into disbelief, Rose stumbled back until her back was against the bookshelf, and in the process knocked several books from their allocated spots to the ground. Feeling incredibly jumpy and guarded she crouched down and picked them up, but when she raised her eyes she found them locked with a pair of silvery-blue ones.

She felt like a deer stuck in headlights, momentarily frozen by the icy gaze of Scorpius Malfoy, who had also crouched to the ground to help collect the fallen books. Rose stared into his swirling eyes and felt it difficult to break contact. But, collecting her wits about her, she forced herself back to reality and tore her eyes away, rising from the floor unsteadily. She brushed the dust that had landed on her school uniform skirt and stared in surprise as Scorpius, too, moved from a crouch on the ground to rise to his full height.

Rose's eyes narrowed as she took in Scorpius's appearance. His platinum blond hair was mussed and school uniform messily arranged as usual. Rose scowled at him and she zeroed in on the thing he was holding in his hand – _Hogwarts: A History._

Rose cleared her throat and straightened out her posture before crossing her arms over her chest. "Malfoy, I was going to take that book out." Her tone was level and cool as ice, though her mind was buzzing and still slightly hazy from their prolonged eye contact.

Scorpius feigned innocence and glanced at the book in his hand as if noticing it for the first time, then back at Rose's impatient image. He cocked his head slightly to the side and a small mischievous grin stole over his lips. "What; this? Come on, Weasley, we both know you've read this enough times to directly quote it, and waste no time in doing so on a regular basis."

Rose was temporarily caught off guard. What was this side of Malfoy she was experiencing? Of course, she knew he was cocky and arrogant and incredibly big-headed, but what was he doing interacting with her like this? It raised her level of suspicion ten-fold and her mind reeled with the surprise of it all.

However, she hid her confusion and rolled her eyes at his comment, grimacing. "Oh, just hand it over. I was just about to take it when you so arrogantly snatched it up before I got a chance to."

Now it was Scorpius's turn to act surprised, though Rose could tell that he was merely putting it on. She decided that he must be toying with her, performing some sort of mind trick that would only result in her downfall. Scorpius glanced down both ends of the aisle before returning his attention to Rose, his silver eyes piercing her blue ones.

"Don't know what you're talking about. I was just minding my business, borrowing a book from the library." He replied, shrugging. Rose made a sound of annoyance in the back of her throat and snorted.

"Malfoy quit playing games with me and hand over the book." Rose impatiently reached over to take the book from Scorpius's grasp but he moved his hand away, practically holding it above her head tauntingly.

"Ah-ah-ah," Scorpius goaded, dangling the book before her. "See, I got the book first, Rose." He shrugged again as if this small statement settled everything.

"Malfoy! You _knew_ I was about to take the book! You're only doing this to annoy me! Now give it to me!" Rose exclaimed, starting to get incredibly annoyed. Who did he think he was?

Scorpius shook his head and one of his pale eyebrows quirked. He made a disapproving sound and clicked his tongue. "Forgetting our manners now, aren't we?"

Rose scrunched up her nose and almost growled at him. "What do I have to do, get on my knees and beg?" she intoned, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

Scorpius suddenly grinned wolfishly and lowered the book ever so slightly, both his eyebrows now rising towards his hairline. "Well, I was going to suggest a simple 'please', but if you'd like to get on your knees, be my guest."

Rose gasped in disgust at this suggestive retort and felt heat flaring up in her cheeks. A hot, angry blush sparked in her face and the implications of Scorpius's words almost made her cringe. "You're a pig," she spat. Scorpius frowned in a degrading manner and shook his head again.

"You're not exactly convincing me to give you this book, Weasley," he said mockingly, though the playful air about him darkened and his face hardened. Rose was getting tired of this charade fast and wouldn't have bothered with it at all if it hadn't been for her desire to retrieve that book. _Why_ was he doing this? Rose inhaled sharply through her nose and closed her eyes for a fraction of a second before steeling herself.

"Fine. Malfoy, will you please give me back the book that you took from me before I got a chance to get it?" Rose asked flatly and tonelessly. The words tasted sour and bitter coming out of her mouth even though she'd put a sarcastic inflection on them. Saying 'please' to Scorpius Malfoy was incredibly difficult.

Malfoy took in a deep breath almost reflectively. "Hmm…" he started, studying the cover of the book as if contemplating. "You see, I _would _have given it back to you –" Rose made a move to take it from his possession but he moved his hand back so that it was just out of her reach, causing her frown to worsen – "but now that you've mentioned begging I have another idea."

Rose placed her hands on her hips and laughed sharply and sarcastically. "If you really think I'm going to beg you for it then you must be delusional."

Scorpius shook his head, a small, evil smile forming on his face. "No, I won't make you beg, though that does sound appealing. No … I want you to do something for me. In exchange for the book, of course."

This sparked Rose's attention, and suspicion crept up into the pit of her stomach. She looked at Scorpius with a calculating expression on her face, trying to figure out where he was going with this. What did he want her to do? Rose was going to make a cutting and snide remark in response to his question but in the end curiosity got the best of her, and keeping her face a cool, indifferent mask, she asked, "And what exactly is that 'something'?"

Scorpius smirked characteristically and ruffled a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more. He took a step closer to Rose, who instinctively backed away until she was pressed against the bookshelf behind her. He was close enough that she could smell his scent – something woodsy, like pine trees, and a faint trace of aftershave mingled with ink and parchment. Rose was mildly surprised and dared not look into his entrancing eyes. The silence began to collect between them, causing the air to become pregnant with tension until he suddenly cleared his throat. "I want to take you out on the next Hogsmeade weekend." He shot her a winning smile, showing off practically all of his perfectly aligned white teeth. Rose's mouth shaped into a comic 'o' and her eyes widened at Scorpius's suggestion and her eyebrows came together in surprise. Had Scorpius Malfoy just asked her out on a date? Had Rose just entered a parallel dimension? Or was she simply experiencing some horribly vivid, totally unrealistic dream – no – nightmare?

Rose felt as if she'd just been hit with a particularly strong confundus charm. Her confusion became so intense that she had no idea how to react. But, with all the effort she could manage, she pulled herself together and narrowed her eyes at Malfoy. Surely this was some sort of ploy.

"Malfoy, are you ill? Do you need to see Madame Pomfrey? Or is this just another one of your lame ideas of a prank?" Rose asked. She shook her head. "Do you really think I'd go on a date with an arrogant, egotistic, bigoted jerk like you?"

Scorpius's smiled faltered and Rose saw a flicker of some raw emotion cross over his face before his features became stony. Rose felt a sudden wash of guilt cascade through her. But then she reprimanded herself; why _should_ she feel guilty? The words she'd spoken rang true and it was about time Malfoy was taken down a few pegs. Still, in retrospect it did seem a little harsh, though Rose didn't entirely regret saying it.

Scorpius's trademark sneer began to work its way onto his face. "Well, I guess I'll just be off then." He waved _Hogwarts: A History_ in front of Rose's face teasingly and spun on his heel, striding down the aisle and disappearing behind the shelf. He left Rose standing alone, book-less, and utterly confounded.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Hi guys! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long; things have been crazy since midterms and December exams have started and haven't had much time to write. However, my last exam is on Wednesday and then I'll have the whole break to write! Also, I really wanted to say thank you to those of you who favourited and/or subscribed, and especially those who took the time to review. It really means the world to me! I was a little reluctant to post this chapter for fear of your reactions, but I hope you enjoy it. I'll admit it was fun to write. Thanks again for being so patient!**

_Scorpius _

Scorpius strode out of the library, the peripherals of his eyesight rimmed red. He was seething with anger and hatred unrivalled to anything he'd felt before. That little half-blood thought she could reject Scorpius Malfoy? He snorted to himself and quickened his pace. Perhaps getting Weasley to like him would be a larger feat than he anticipated. But no matter. Scorpius liked a challenge. And even though her comments and rejection had stung he had to remind himself that he always had to be in control. So, before he entered the Slytherin common room down in the dungeons Scorpius inhaled slowly and attempted to channel his anger into coming up with a new plan. He would _not_ lose the bet to Christof - it wasn't even that he dreaded doing his homework for months, it was more about wounding his pride and reputation further. No, he had to be victorious. There was no other option.

Feeling dirty and unclean after his encounter with Rose, he immediately took a shower once he reached his dormitory, ignoring Christof's greeting. When he emerged from the bathroom, his hair still slightly damp and wearing deep emerald green bathrobe, his friend looked up questioningly.

"How'd it go with Weasley?" Christof asked, attempting to sound nonchalant but failing. Scorpius had told Christof his plan prior to the execution of it. Scorpius looked away hastily and ducked into his four-poster so that Christof wouldn't be able to see his face.

"Fine." Scorpius replied flatly, pretending to fidget with his trunk, which was on the ground next to his four-poster. He heard Christof shift on his own four-poster and a pair of feet padding across the floor. A shadow fell on the blond Slytherin and he looked up to meet Christof's curious expression.

"What'd she say?" He asked, leaning against the banister of the four-poster. Scorpius resisted the urge to roll his eyes and stood up restlessly, pushing past Christof and pacing back and forth across the dormitory.

"Well, it didn't go _exactly_ according to plan, but -" Scorpius was spared from having to explain his failure when the door of the dormitory swung open and in stepped Spencer. Scorpius and Christof both simultaneously looked at Spencer, who, sensing the tension in the room, appeared slightly taken aback and inquisitive.

"Hey. Everything okay?" He asked as his dark eyes flitted between Christof and Scorpius, calculating. Christof cleared his throat and moved back to his own four-poster and Scorpius did the same.

"Yeah mate, everything's great." Christof replied. Scorpius silently thanked Merlin for Spencer's prompt and convenient arrival; he knew that Christof would not press the Rose matter anymore with him in their presence. They both knew how much Spencer disapproved of their little bet and didn't tend to bring it up when he was within earshot.

"Where are Crabbe and Goyle?" Scorpius asked, trying to change the subject.

"I think I saw them in the common room," Spencer said as he dropped his bag onto his four-poster. Scorpius remained silent. Suddenly his mind wandered over to Tally, and he had the urge to ask Spencer if she was in the common room, too. But he didn't.

Instead he shoved her and her dark beauty out of his mind and concentrated his efforts on trying to come up with ways to win he and Christof's bet. What would get that swot to feel for him? He didn't know much about Weasely, naturally, other than that she was obsessed with marks and school and work. Maybe the only way to get her attention was to appeal to her in a logical manner? Scorpius mentally sifted through the ways one could get a girl to like him. He realized that most of the girls he'd been with had began to like him due to physical attraction or his skills on the quid ditch pitch. He wasn't sure why but for some reason that made him feel oddly ... Hollow. He shook his head and wondered where that thought had come from, quickly banishing it from his mind.

He knew another thing about the Ravenclaw princess, however, and that was that she'd hardly ever had any serious relationships. Year after year she'd remained single, and Scorpius was sure she didn't have much experience with intimacy. Maybe a way to catch her attention was to show her a bit of what she'd been missing. A smirk grew on Scorpius's face.

The next night Scorpius waited in a corridor near the Hogwarts library that was the fastest route to Ravenclaw tower. He lurked behind a wall, peering around the corner every few seconds to see if anybody was approaching. The hallway was illuminated by little light, most of which was emanating from the solitary torch sitting in a bracket attached to the wall a few feet down from him. It was well past nine o'clock but Scorpius knew Weasley was still shacked up in the library doing Merlin knows what. He'd been waiting patiently for a little under a quarter of an hour now and felt like a predator stalking its prey.

Suddenly Scorpius heard footsteps echoing down the corridor, and he tensed. He peaked around the corner as quickly and covertly as possible and to his delight saw that it was indeed Weasley, striding along with her nose in the air and wild red locks bouncing, several leather-bound books clutched in her arms. Excitement shot through his body and something like adrenaline flooded his veins as he held his breath and practically counted down the minute to pounce.

The sound of footsteps was right next to him now, and timing his appearance perfectly, the second she was about to turn the corner he grabbed her around the waist and shoved her forwards until her body was between him and the stone wall opposite them. The books she'd been carrying tumbled to the ground. She made a move to cry out but Scorpius quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle her shout. A powerful and dominant feeling settled over Scorpius as he watched her facial expression change from bewilderment to utter hatred, her eyes widening before narrowing into slits of suspicion. Hand still covering her mouth to keep her from saying anything, she squirmed against his body as if to break free and raised an arm to hit him. Foreseeing this, Scorpius released her slim waist and pinned both her wrists against the wall, a wicked grin working its way onto his face. Unfortunately, now that nothing was preventing her from speaking, she practically growled.

"Malfoy! What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" she cried shrilly. Her voice pierced Scorpius's ears and reverberated around the deserted hallway alarmingly. However, Scorpius wasn't too concerned. He'd made sure Filch was busy tonight by convincing Peeves to cause some trouble in the trophy room. For some reason, the poltergeist took to Scorpius and ever since first year he'd had the mischievous demon in his back pocket.

Rose sucked in a shaky breath and Scorpius's grin widened, anticipating what she was about to do. "There's no use in shouting, Rose, there's nobody within earshot of us now." Rose squirmed again, trying and failing to free her wrists from his grasp. However, years of quidditch training meant Scorpius was very strong, and Rose's feeble attempts were without merit.

"You're a right foul _git!" _just as she uttered this last word she did something Scorpius had not expected - brought her knee up and hit him right in the soft spot. He staggered back slightly as pain shot through him and he instinctively released his grasp on her. Scorpius cursed and attempted to clear his head of the pain, gritting his teeth. If Rose hadn't been so concerned about picking up her books from the floor she would have gotten away. Fortunately, her scuffle to collect her books gave Scorpius just the right amount of time to recover and as she began to dart away from her he sprinted ahead and again pinned her to the wall, making sure this time that his body was so close to hers that she couldn't move a muscle. He resumed the old position in which he had her delicate wrists in his clutches, and again the books fell from her possession to the ground, which Scorpius kicked aside.

"What do you want from me, Malfoy?" Rose spat through clenched teeth. Scorpius paused for a moment to relish in the moment at hand. Here was Rose Weasely, the swotty little princess who strut about as if she were some sort of revered monarch, at the mercy of him.

"Ah, I've waited for this moment for too long, Weasley," he practically sighed. Her blue eyes flashed and were even sharper in the flickering light of the wall torch, cheeks rosy and almost matching her flaming hair, which was somewhat dishevelled and messy from being slammed against a wall twice. For some reason Scorpius felt a pull at his heart looking at her and his eyes travelled down her face to rest on her lips, which were full and red and soft-looking, something he'd never noticed before. Suddenly he became fascinated with studying her. He'd never really seen her before - well, of course he'd seen her - he'd seen her practically every day since his first class at Hogwarts. But he hadn't really _seen_ her; properly looked at her, and now that she was finally vulnerable beneath him he took the opportunity to do so almost eagerly. His gaze roved over her chin, which was dainty and feminine, along her softly curving jaw line and down her slim, long neck. Scorpius stifled a gasp. He'd never noticed Rose like this before, and was almost sorry he hadn't.

To Scorpius's dismay, Weasley ruined the moment by opening her mouth. "You're a psychotic _prick! _Let me go! Don't make me knee you again!"

He had to admit to himself that he hadn't seen that one coming, and had perhaps underestimated the amount of gryffindor qualities Rose had inherited from her family. Still, Scorpius clicked his tongue softly and took to examining the red splash of freckles that adorned her high cheekbones and nose. "Oh, don't spoil the fun, Weasley. You're such a stick in the mud."

Rose issued a sharp, borderline insane laugh. "You're completely mental! If you don't let me go _right now_ I'll ... I'll -"

"You'll what, Weasley?" Scorpius murmured in a degrading tone of voice. "Snitch on me? Run to your little mudblood mummy?"

Something hard and delusional flashed in Rose's eyes, and her body tensed under Scorpius's. "Don't you _ever_ say a word about my mother, you foul little psychopath!" She squirmed again but Scorpius only moved closer, causing her to yelp. The sound brought a shiver through Scorpius's entire being, but Rose was too busy trying to get away that she didn't notice.

"Ooh, touchy today, aren't we?" Scorpius practically cooed. He could feel Rose's heart hammering against her ribcage and realized that his was beating rather fast as well. He swallowed and found himself staring at her lips again, which were crimson against her pale, porcelain skin. He drew in a shaky breath and he thought he heard her whimper again, though it could have just been his imagination.

Rose inhaled sharply through her nose and turned her head to the side to look at her left hand, which was pinned to the wall by Scorpius. This gave the slytherin an intriguing view of Rose's slender neck, and he examined the tendons which stood out and the curve where it sloped into her shoulder.

"What do you _want_, Scorpius?!" Rose exclaimed. "Why are you doing this?" her voice was beginning to lose its fiery tone and was becoming almost pleading. _Good_, Scorpius thought.

"Hmm, let's see. I want you to come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend." Scorpius replied. Rose turned her head again and locked eyes with him, and he studied their blue, swirling depths. For a moment she seemed caught completely off-guard, and for a brief second her face portrayed open confusion. Then she quickly rearranged it to disgust. But she hadn't fooled Scorpius.

"I think I'd rather eat bubotuber pus!" Rose cried vehemently, a certain venom to her voice that seemed to slice through Scorpius like a dagger. The arrogant smirk was wiped off his face and his features became stony. He pressed his body closer to hers, and as she swallowed Scorpius detected real fear in her eyes, behind the ferocity. Something in Scorpius seemed to waver, and for the first time he legitimately considered just letting her go. But he couldn't. Not yet, at least.

Without even thinking about it, Scorpius closed the small gap between his and Rose's face and practically crushed his lips against hers. Rose objected tremendously, her squirming increasing and a shrill sound rising in her throat, but he refused to break contact. Her lips felt soft and warm under his own, though they were adamantly pressed into a tight line, and he roughly attempted to force them apart so he could have access to her mouth. This gesture caused Rose to gasp harshly and her lips to part, and seizing the opportunity to explore her tongue with his Scorpius deepened the kiss.

At first Rose was completely still, but to Scorpius's surprise and excitement she gradually began to return the kiss, almost giving him permission. One thing Scorpius hadn't expected from this was to actually enjoy kissing Rose Weasley, but her lips were so inviting and their mouths moved so effortlessly with each other. In the heat of the moment Scorpius let go of her wrists and plunged his hands into her hair, and a sweet flowery scent filled his senses.

Unfortunately, as soon as Rose finally submitted and began kissing him back, her front teeth came down into Scorpius's lower lip so hard he thought she may have broken skin. He instinctively drew back, touching his lip with his finger and feeling sickened by the warm soak of liquid seeping out of the place where she'd bit him. He staggered back and barely even noticed Rose bend over, collect her books, and sprint away down the hall.

He wanted to shout something at her but found he had no voice. The last he saw of her was her mane of red hair whipping around the corner and disappearing. Scorpius wiped the blood roughly off his lip with the back of his hand and tasted metal.

Scorpius felt fury rising in the pit of his stomach like bile, but it was mingled with excitement and lust. He wasn't sure if he was mad at her for biting him or for breaking off their kiss. In retrospect it seemed much too short.

_Rose_

Rose's head was swimming and her vision foggy as she ran through the hallway towards Ravenclaw Tower. Thoughts and questions threatened to engulf her brain and over encumber her with confusion but she resisted them, focusing only on getting as far away from him as she could.

When she'd deemed herself a safe distance away she paused to catch her breath - running had never been one of her strong suits. Bending over and placing her hands on her thighs as she attempted to control her breathing she could no longer stop the thoughts from surfacing. She didn't want to think about. She wanted to pretend that it had all just been a dream and that she would wake up in a few moments in her four-poster in ravenclaw tower listening to the wind whistle through the eaves and the soft snoring of Maddie. But no such luck.

Rose was surprised when she noticed wetness on her cheeks and under her eyes. Angrily she wiped the tears that had been steadily flowing throughout the course of her getaway on the back of her sleeve. Why was she crying? She was mad at herself for being so weak. She knew she wasn't crying from physical pain (though Malfoy's grip on her had been uncomfortably tight) but emotional; she was humiliated and confused and felt completely violated. Why had he kissed her?

With a jolt Rose realized she'd been kissed _twice_ that week, from the last two people she would ever have expected. Her kiss with Malfoy had been angry and rough and vengeful - the polar opposite of her kiss with Lysander, which had been gentle and kind and familiar. Rose was terrified and oddly exhilarated from Malfoy's harsh embrace. There had been something intense about it, passionate; traits that had been somewhat missing from Lysander's kiss.

Rose was horrified to find herself thinking those thoughts and pushed them away, thinking she must be going utterly mad. But try as she might she couldn't stop thinking about Scorpius's hands clenched in her hair and the heat of his body against hers. She shivered, but not in the way she would have expected to. There had been something exciting about kissing Scorpius. All those years of hatred and spite had built up into a powder keg of raw emotion, and the chemistry between them was electric. Rose still hated him. That was a given. But she had to admit that all the tension and anger that was so high-strung between them created a burning passion - however that passion was not the product of love or warmth or affection - no, it was hate, and Rose wasn't sure if that was healthy.

She was loathe to admit that there had been a time when she'd enjoyed the kiss, but thankfully she'd come to her senses and bit his lip. She thought she may have bitten hard enough to draw blood. Rose couldn't bring herself to feel guilt - what Scorpius did was a violation of Rose's space and could probably even be classified as assault, but he knew she would never rat on him. Telling somebody would mean revealing their kiss, and he knew Rose would rather die than admit to kissing him. As Rose briskly began to make her way up the winding staircase of ravenclaw tower she tried not to think of Malfoy's lips or his hands or his faint, woodsy scent.

The second Rose entered the sixth year girl's dormitories she rushed to the bathroom and thoroughly brushed her teeth for a solid ten minutes before placing her hands on either side of the porcelain sink and taking in deep, shaky breaths. She lifted her head to face her reflection in the mirror and found that her cheeks were flaming red and blue eyes wild and frightened like a cornered animal's. Her hair was messy and on end and lips slightly swollen. She knew Maddie would be suspicious if she emerged looking like this and quickly dragged a comb through her thick hair.

"Rose?" Maddie called, softly knocking on the bathroom door. Rose froze momentarily and inhaled again, trying to calm her heart, which was still racing.

"Yeah?" her voice was an octave higher than usual and Rose could have kicked herself. She waited with baited breath for her friend's reply, the pause growing longer and longer until finally -

"Are you alright?"

Rose gave her reflection one last appraising glance before carefully opening the door and looking at her friend. She was already in her pyjamas and was giving her an inquisitive, slightly worried look. Rose plastered on a smile and nodded hastily. "Oh, yeah, everything's good! Everything's great." With that she hastened to her four-poster and busied herself with going through her schoolbag though she didn't need anything from it. Her ears perked up as she caught the sound of Maddie slowly padding across the room towards her and she looked up when her friend was standing over her.

"What?" Rose asked, a little too innocently, as Maddie frowned. She shook her head and sat down on the floor next to Rose, crossing her legs and clasping her hands in her lap.

"Rose, I know when there's something up. And you've acted really odd lately. Especially you and Lysander. What's going on? Please tell me. You're my best friend. I know when you're going through something." Maddie said. Rose was thankful that their other dorm mates weren't in the room otherwise she would be subject to a _lot _of gossip.

Rose sighed heavily. She should have known that Maddie would eventually catch on to Rose's odd behaviour. It was only a matter of time. Rose decided it was time to tell Maddie about the kiss with Lysander; but she chose to leave out the more recent events which had occurred.

Rose took in a deep breath before delving into the story. She explained how she'd felt annoyed and rubbed the wrong way after Lysander had expressed interest in Laura and how she avoided him the entire day until he cornered her in the hallway and kissed her. By the end of the story Rose huffed and slouched against her bed frame, looking anywhere but Maddie and instead examining the rough cuticle on her index finger.

There was a long pause in which Maddie seemed to digest the tale and Rose felt no urge to break the silence. Finally she could resist no longer and looked at her friends face. She was surprised to see that Maddie looked slightly confused. "What?" Rose asked, feeling edgy and somewhat impatient after her friend's lack of response to her story.

"Well ..." Maddie bit her lip and frowned, her eyebrows pulling together. "I thought you and Lysander had already kissed before _that_," she replied. She recoiled after saying it as if afraid Rose would get angry at her for suggesting that she and Lysander were an item. However Rose didn't have the energy to be angry or even shocked - she'd already experienced enough of both of those emotions of late.

Rose shook her head. "No. We've never kissed. Well, before that at least. What made you think we did?" she asked. She felt Maddie shrug beside her.

"I don't exactly know," Maddie admitted. "I just assumed since you guys spend so much time with each other over the summer and ... well, it sometimes sort of seems like you two fancy each other -" Rose made a small surprised noise in the back of her throat and Maddie caught herself - "I mean, that might just be my imagination but I don't know."

Rose leaned back again, face aghast as she processed the information. She made as if to speak but shut her mouth again, and after a few attempts she finally said, "But we're like brother and sister, aren't we?"

Maddie giggled but stopped immediately after Rose shot her a look. She cleared her throat. "Could've fooled me. The way Lysander looks at you ... I mean, it's always brief and not all the time, but every once in a while I see it on his face. Just blatantly displayed. I don't think he realizes it."

Rose felt even more conflicted after Maddie told her about that. "What do you mean 'blatantly displayed'?" she asked. Maddie sighed and furrowed her eyebrows as if it was difficult to explain.

"It's just this expression he has ... like, utter adoration. It's kind of obvious, if you know when to look and you're perceptive enough to catch it." Maddie replied. Rose felt her heart break. Why hadn't she ever noticed Lysander looking at her with utter adoration? Rose liked to think of herself as being fairly in tune with other people's emotions and reading expression and body language, but now that Maddie had revealed this information she must have been sorely wrong.

"But ... he's Lysander. We've known each other practically since birth. He's ... we're ..." Rose struggled to completely the sentence and finally gave up. "Oh, I don't know. All I know is that I'm confused and tired of not knowing."

Maddie looked at her sympathetically. "Well ... how did it feel? The kiss?" she asked. Rose shook her head and shrugged.

"It was ... nice, I guess. But ... I mean ..." Rose thought about her passionate kiss with Malfoy and attempted to compare it to the one with Lysander. There was something missing with Lysander; whether it was passion or chemistry or excitement she wasn't sure. "I didn't really feel much. I mean, it was short-lived so I couldn't get a full read on it but ... there wasn't much ..." again Rose was deemed inarticulate and moaned frustratedly. Normally she was so eloquent with her sentences, but these two infuriating boys had caught her speechless.

"Lacking something? A spark?" Maddie suggested. Rose looked up at her and realized she'd hit the nail right on the head. _She must be an accomplished occlumens_, Rose thought. She nodded in response to Maddie's response and returned to gazing at her uneven nail beds. She had really ought to stop biting them.

"Well I guess that's sort of understandable. I mean, like you said the two of you have known each other as long as you can remember. Maybe it just feels too familiar right now. Maybe you just need to work on achieving that spark, that chemistry." Maddie said.

Rose pulled a face. She didn't want to have to work to have chemistry with someone; and besides she believed that if there was no spark between two people there never would be, no matter how hard one tried. Rose closed her eyes but opened them again quickly after envisioning Lysander and Scorpius behind her lids.

"I don't know, Mads." Rose muttered. "I don't even know what to do. I don't even think I fancy him like that. Or maybe I do. Oh, I don't know!" at this Rose stood and threw her hands up in frustration. She collapsed onto her four-poster and stared up at the blue canopy above. "I don't know." she murmured quietly. Maddie didn't move for a time before she stood and made her way over to her own four-poster.

"Well, you and Lysander can't just play this game forever. You'll have to face it sometime, and in my opinion the sooner the better." Maddie said. "Besides I couldn't stand it if you two never spoke again. What would happen to our group?"

Rose shrugged but doubted that Maddie could see. She agreed with her friend though. She and Lysander couldn't just sweep the incident under the carpet and act as if it had never happened. It wouldn't be right. And if they didn't address it now it'd just be lingering under the surface of their minds forever. It would always be there, lurking in the shadows and threatening to appear. "You're right Maddie. I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Good." Maddie replied as she got under the duvet of her four-poster. "I'm going to bed. Night."

"Night," Rose replied in an off-hand voice. Her mind was elsewhere.

She recalled with a heated flame of anger how Malfoy had called her mother a mudblood. That was so typical of a Malfoy. She guessed it was true about the apple never falling too far from the tree. She hated him with every fibre of her being, and even lying in bed with his face swimming before her vision made her want to punch something. It was irrational and childish but there it was. Rose wondered what had driven him to kiss her in the first place. And why did he want to go out with her so badly? Knowing Scorpius Malfoy, Rose knew it was all some sort of maniacal ploy. Then again, when he'd kissed her he seemed to have actually _wanted _to, which made no sense. However, it all could just be some sort of sick twisted game that Scorpius enjoyed playing with her so much. She wondered how the kiss had felt for him; had he been overcome with raw emotion, physical need the way she had? Did he feel the resentment flowing through her, but also the excitement? The lust? The whole night she couldn't get their kiss out of her head.

And if it was possible, her hatred for Scorpius Malfoy deepened because of it.


End file.
